The Bears are 11-for-40 (27.5 percent) on third-down conversions this season, but are 5-for-24 (21 percent) in their back-to-back losses, as well as 0-for-2 on fourth downs. They have come to the conclusion that the reason they are having so much trouble on third down is because things aren’t going as planned on first and second downs.

“Those third-and-longs, at the end of the day, we’re not going to be able to convert a high rate of those,” Cutler said. “So first and second down is the key. We need to get enough yards to put us in position to be successful on third down and keep the chains moving, keep the clock moving and keep our defense off the field.”

The Bears had third and less than seven only one time last weekend against Green Bay, and they converted that one.

They had more third-and-10-plus situations (seven) than any other distance, and were 0-for-7 on those. In fact, the 2011 Bears are 1-for-19 on third down and anything over nine yards, and are 5-for-29 on anything over six.

So clearly, their problems on third down relate directly to what they’re doing — or not doing — on first and second down.

“If you put yourself in a manageable third down, if you’re taking care of your first and second down, then you don’t have that burden of having as many problems to deal with on third-and-long,” wideout Dane Sanzenbacher said. “We just need to get some things cleaned up, establish our running game more, and I guarantee that will help those third downs.”

A big part of the problem has been Chicago’s inability to run. The Bears have just three rushing first downs the past two games, and no rushing touchdowns all year. After gaining just 73 yards on the ground in Weeks 2 and 3 combined, they know it’s about time to get that part of their game going again.

“Third downs are always the key. It keeps us on the field, and it keeps our defense off it,” tackle Frank Omiyale said. “We know we need to run the ball better ... We really want to keep our defense fresh so they can go out there and do what they do best. It’s always a key. It’s always a goal.”

Bears center Roberto Garza doesn’t care how they do it, he just wants to see his team stay on the field longer than it has. Because of their third-down issues, the Bears have come up on the wrong end of the time-of-possession stat badly (73:43-46:17) the past two games.

“We have to step up and convert. We have to find a way,” Garza said. “When you dig yourselves those holes, you’ve got to dig yourselves out of it.”